Hunter
03/27/25
A US District Judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the state of Iowa from banning books that depict sex acts in school libraries and classrooms.
The Gazette reports the law was first approved by Iowa’s Republican-led Legislature and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2023, but key parts, including the book ban, were temporarily blocked by US District Judge Stephen Locher before they became enforceable. That decision was overturned in August by the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, meaning the law has been enforceable in the current school year.
In his decision, Locher said the law “does not regulate student speech or constitute ‘government speech’ but instead tries to impose statewide restrictions on what has traditionally been the prerogative of local officials regarding the contents of school libraries.”